Pay It Forward InitiativeSince The Birthday Book 2016, we have been collaborating with schools to bring contributors of the Birthday Book into to speak to students of schools around Singapore. This year, we hope to continue to do the same with The Birthday Book 2017, and hope to provide free, accessible copies of the book to deserving students for the upcoming schools tour. If you would like to sponsor this initiative, please select the 'Pay It Forward' option above, and your purchase will go directly to a student we meet during our schools outreach.

SynopsisAn annual publication, The Birthday Book examines emerging challenges and opportunities for Singapore, based on a selected prompt. The number of writers each year matches Singapore’s age—52 for 2017, 53 for 2018, and so on. This edition presents 52 responses to “What Should We Never Forget?” The contributors have drawn from personal encounters, academic and professional experiences, and cornerstone values in their lives. Read their stories for a glimpse of our nation’s spirit—mortal, vulnerable, restless, resilient, and aspirational. What’s your response?

Sheila Pakir is a hobbyist dancer, amateur sketch-artist, occasional yogi, obsessive foodie, and, for the last few years, a civil servant. She has worked in the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Pioneer Generation Office, and most recently, at the Ministry of Communications and Information. She has also done scenario writing work for The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Sheila graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University with a Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy. In Singapore, Sheila grew up a Westie and has become an Eastie through marriage, but loves every far-flung corner of this little island anyway.

Malminderjit Singh is the Director of The Birthday Collective and the Editor of The Birthday Book 2016. Professionally, he relishes the opportunity to work with the Institute for Societal Leadership at the Singapore Management University, helping to develop societal leaders around Asia through customised leadership programmes and knowledge generation.

Above all, Malminderjit’s greatest fulfilment comes from his role as a father of three young children, including a pair of twins born this year.

How this book came togetherIn the spirit of civil society, the contributors contributed their work for no personal gain. Half of the profits from the book sales will go towards the production and publishing costs, while the remainder will be contributed to The Birthday Book Collective, which will be operated in the spirit of a non-profit to support follow-up activities and outreach relating to the various ideas and causes that the contributors wrote about.